Track datasetRefs against the live draft so manual edits and extract link immediately

src/app/services/RelationshipService.ts

@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
  * Snippet ↔ dataset relationships (docs/architecture/07 §4 + §6).
  *
  * The bidirectional link is name-based and has a single source of truth: a
- * snippet's `datasetRefs` (recomputed from its published spec). The reverse
- * direction — "which snippets use this dataset" — is therefore DERIVED by a scan,
+ * snippet's `datasetRefs` (recomputed from its draft spec — the version being
+ * edited — on every draft change and on publish). The reverse direction —
+ * "which snippets use this dataset" — is therefore DERIVED by a scan,
  * never stored, so it can't drift. Rename is the one graph operation: it renames
  * the dataset record and propagates the new name into every referencing snippet's
  * spec/draftSpec/refs.

src/app/stores/SnippetStore.test.ts

@@ -254,6 +254,69 @@ describe('publish — datasetRefs recomputation', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('datasetRefs track the live draft (spec §03F, arch 07 §3)', () => {
+  const refSpec = (name: string) => JSON.stringify({ data: { name }, mark: 'bar' }, null, 2);
+  const inlineSpec = JSON.stringify({ data: { values: [{ a: 1 }] }, mark: 'bar' }, null, 2);
+
+  test('createSnippet links a named-data spec immediately (Chart Builder path)', () => {
+    store().createSnippet({
+      id: 'a',
+      spec: refSpec('Sales'),
+      now: new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z'),
+    });
+    expect(selectActiveSnippet(store())?.datasetRefs).toEqual(['Sales']);
+  });
+
+  test('auto-save links a hand-typed reference without publishing', () => {
+    const a = createSnippet({ id: 'a', spec: '{}', now: new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z') });
+    store().hydrate([a], 'a');
+
+    store().updateDraft(refSpec('Sales'));
+    store().commitDraft(new Date('2026-02-01T00:00:00Z')); // the debounced auto-save
+
+    const s = selectActiveSnippet(store())!;
+    expect(s.datasetRefs).toEqual(['Sales']); // linked before any publish
+    expect(s.spec).toBe('{}'); // published spec untouched — refs mirror the draft
+  });
+
+  test('replaceActiveDraft (Extract to Dataset) links the dataset immediately', () => {
+    const a = createSnippet({ id: 'a', spec: inlineSpec, now: new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z') });
+    store().hydrate([a], 'a');
+    expect(selectActiveSnippet(store())?.datasetRefs).toEqual([]); // inline data → no refs
+
+    store().replaceActiveDraft(refSpec('Orders'), new Date('2026-02-01T00:00:00Z'));
+
+    const s = selectActiveSnippet(store())!;
+    expect(s.datasetRefs).toEqual(['Orders']); // linked the moment the draft is rewritten
+    expect(s.spec).toBe(inlineSpec); // still a draft edit — published unchanged until publish
+  });
+
+  test('revert drops a link that existed only in the discarded draft', () => {
+    const a = createSnippet({ id: 'a', spec: inlineSpec, now: new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z') });
+    store().hydrate([a], 'a');
+    store().replaceActiveDraft(refSpec('Orders'), new Date('2026-02-01T00:00:00Z'));
+    expect(selectActiveSnippet(store())?.datasetRefs).toEqual(['Orders']);
+
+    store().revert(new Date('2026-03-01T00:00:00Z'));
+
+    const s = selectActiveSnippet(store())!;
+    expect(s.datasetRefs).toEqual([]); // draft restored to the inline-data published spec
+    expect(s.draftSpec).toBe(inlineSpec);
+  });
+
+  test('an unparseable draft is skipped — refs keep their last valid value (no flicker)', () => {
+    const a = createSnippet({ id: 'a', spec: '{}', now: new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z') });
+    store().hydrate([a], 'a');
+    store().updateDraft(refSpec('Sales'));
+    store().commitDraft(new Date('2026-01-02T00:00:00Z'));
+    expect(selectActiveSnippet(store())?.datasetRefs).toEqual(['Sales']);
+
+    store().updateDraft('{ "data": { "name": "Sa'); // mid-keystroke, invalid JSON
+    expect(store().commitDraft(new Date('2026-01-03T00:00:00Z'))).toBe(false);
+    expect(selectActiveSnippet(store())?.datasetRefs).toEqual(['Sales']); // unchanged
+  });
+});
+
 describe('renameSnippet (spec §02 metadata panel)', () => {
   test('renames and advances modified, without touching the editor buffer', () => {
     const a = createSnippet({ id: 'a', name: 'Old', now: new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z') });
@@ -409,6 +472,28 @@ describe('renameDatasetRefs', () => {
     expect(store().renameDatasetRefs('Sales', 'Sales')).toBe(0);
     expect(store().renameDatasetRefs('Unknown', 'Other')).toBe(0);
   });
+
+  test('rewrites a name referenced only by the published spec (draft removed it)', () => {
+    const a = createSnippet({
+      id: 'a',
+      spec: refSpec('Sales'),
+      now: new Date('2026-01-01T00:00:00Z'),
+    });
+    store().hydrate([a], 'a');
+    store().publish(new Date('2026-01-02T00:00:00Z')); // spec + draft reference Sales
+    // Remove the reference from the DRAFT only — do not publish. datasetRefs now
+    // mirrors the (empty) draft, but the published spec still references Sales.
+    store().updateDraft('{"mark":"bar"}');
+    store().commitDraft(new Date('2026-01-03T00:00:00Z'));
+    expect(selectActiveSnippet(store())?.datasetRefs).toEqual([]);
+
+    const updated = store().renameDatasetRefs('Sales', 'Revenue', new Date('2026-02-01T00:00:00Z'));
+
+    expect(updated).toBe(1); // matched via the published spec, not datasetRefs
+    const renamed = store().snippets.find((s) => s.id === 'a')!;
+    expect(renamed.spec).toContain('"Revenue"'); // published spec rewritten — no rot
+    expect(renamed.spec).not.toContain('"Sales"');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('library view state (spec §02 → Search / Sort)', () => {

src/app/stores/SnippetStore.ts

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import {
   type CreateSnippetOptions,
   type Snippet,
 } from '@core/snippet';
-import { recomputeDatasetRefs, renameDatasetInSpec } from '@core/spec-refs';
+import { extractDatasetRefs, recomputeDatasetRefs, renameDatasetInSpec } from '@core/spec-refs';
 import {
   DEFAULT_SORT_BY,
   DEFAULT_SORT_ORDER,
@@ -204,10 +204,13 @@ export const useSnippetStore = create<SnippetState>((set, get) => ({
   createSnippet: (options) => {
     get().commitDraft(); // flush the outgoing snippet's valid edits before switching away
     const created = createSnippet(options);
-    // Mirror datasetRefs from the spec at creation, like publish does, so a snippet
-    // built with a named-data reference (Chart Builder, §06) is linked to its dataset
-    // immediately. Inline-data specs (the sample template) resolve to no refs.
-    const snippet = { ...created, datasetRefs: recomputeDatasetRefs(created.spec) };
+    // Mirror datasetRefs from the draft at creation, so a snippet built with a
+    // named-data reference (Chart Builder, §06) is linked to its dataset immediately.
+    // datasetRefs tracks the draft — the version being edited — at every mutation
+    // (create/auto-save/extract/revert/publish), so the link reflects what the user
+    // sees, not only the last publish (docs/architecture/07 §3). Inline-data specs
+    // (the sample template) resolve to no refs. spec === draftSpec at creation.
+    const snippet = { ...created, datasetRefs: recomputeDatasetRefs(created.draftSpec) };
     set((s) => ({
       snippets: [snippet, ...s.snippets],
       activeSnippetId: snippet.id,
@@ -314,9 +317,13 @@ export const useSnippetStore = create<SnippetState>((set, get) => ({
     const { activeSnippetId } = get();
     if (!activeSnippetId) return;
     const modified = (now ?? new Date()).toISOString();
+    const datasetRefs = recomputeDatasetRefs(text);
     set((s) => ({
       snippets: s.snippets.map((x) =>
-        x.id === activeSnippetId ? { ...x, draftSpec: text, modified } : x,
+        // Recompute datasetRefs from the new draft so a programmatic rewrite that
+        // introduces a by-name reference — Extract-to-Dataset (spec §03F) — links
+        // the dataset to the snippet immediately, not only on the next publish.
+        x.id === activeSnippetId ? { ...x, draftSpec: text, datasetRefs, modified } : x,
       ),
       draftText: text,
       editorView: 'draft',
@@ -341,9 +348,15 @@ export const useSnippetStore = create<SnippetState>((set, get) => ({
     }
 
     const modified = (now ?? new Date()).toISOString();
+    // Recompute datasetRefs from the just-committed draft so a hand-typed by-name
+    // reference links to its dataset as soon as auto-save fires. This runs on the
+    // debounced auto-save and only on valid JSON (the parse guard above), so it is
+    // not "every keystroke" and never sees a transiently-invalid draft — it keeps
+    // datasetRefs mirroring the draft the user is editing (docs/architecture/07 §3).
+    const datasetRefs = recomputeDatasetRefs(draftText);
     set({
       snippets: snippets.map((s) =>
-        s.id === activeSnippetId ? { ...s, draftSpec: draftText, modified } : s,
+        s.id === activeSnippetId ? { ...s, draftSpec: draftText, datasetRefs, modified } : s,
       ),
     });
     return true;
@@ -358,8 +371,18 @@ export const useSnippetStore = create<SnippetState>((set, get) => ({
     let updated = 0;
     let activeDraftAfter: string | null = null;
 
+    // Whether a spec text references the old name (case-insensitive). Reads the
+    // content rather than reserializing, so a non-referencing snippet's text is
+    // left byte-for-byte intact (no spurious reformat/modified bump).
+    const referencesOld = (text: string): boolean =>
+      extractDatasetRefs(text).some((r) => r.toLowerCase() === lower);
+
     const next = snippets.map((s) => {
-      if (!s.datasetRefs.some((r) => r.toLowerCase() === lower)) return s;
+      // Consult both spec and draft, not only datasetRefs: datasetRefs now mirrors
+      // the DRAFT, so a name still referenced only by the published spec (the user
+      // removed it from the draft but hasn't published) would otherwise be missed
+      // and the published spec would rot to a now-renamed dataset (arch 07 §6).
+      if (!referencesOld(s.spec) && !referencesOld(s.draftSpec)) return s;
       updated++;
       const spec = renameDatasetInSpec(s.spec, oldName, newName);
       const draftSpec = renameDatasetInSpec(s.draftSpec, oldName, newName);
@@ -368,7 +391,7 @@ export const useSnippetStore = create<SnippetState>((set, get) => ({
         ...s,
         spec,
         draftSpec,
-        datasetRefs: recomputeDatasetRefs(spec),
+        datasetRefs: recomputeDatasetRefs(draftSpec),
         modified: (now ?? new Date()).toISOString(),
       };
     });
@@ -422,9 +445,13 @@ export const useSnippetStore = create<SnippetState>((set, get) => ({
     if (!active) return false;
 
     const modified = (now ?? new Date()).toISOString();
+    // The draft is restored to the published spec, so datasetRefs must mirror it
+    // again — drop any link that existed only in the discarded draft (e.g. an
+    // Extract-to-Dataset rewrite the user reverted before publishing).
+    const datasetRefs = recomputeDatasetRefs(active.spec);
     set((s) => ({
       snippets: s.snippets.map((x) =>
-        x.id === activeSnippetId ? { ...x, draftSpec: x.spec, modified } : x,
+        x.id === activeSnippetId ? { ...x, draftSpec: x.spec, datasetRefs, modified } : x,
       ),
       // Reload the editor with the restored draft, on the editable view (spec §03D).
       draftText: active.spec,

src/core/import-normalize.ts

@@ -283,8 +283,8 @@ export function reassignCollidingSnippetIds(
  * Propagate dataset renames (from `dedupeIncomingDatasetNames`) into the imported
  * snippets that reference them (architecture 07 §6): for each rename, rewrite both
  * `spec` and `draftSpec` via `renameDatasetInSpec`, then recompute `datasetRefs`
- * from the rewritten spec — the spec is the source of truth, `datasetRefs` mirrors
- * it. Matching is case-insensitive (consistent with the naming helpers). Only
+ * from the rewritten draft — the draft is the source of truth, `datasetRefs`
+ * mirrors it. Matching is case-insensitive (consistent with the naming helpers). Only
  * snippets that actually change are cloned.
  *
  * Applied to the imported set ONLY — existing snippets keep their references,
@@ -323,7 +323,8 @@ export function applyDatasetRenamesToSnippets(
       draftSpec = renameDatasetInSpec(draftSpec, oldName, to);
     }
 
-    return { ...snippet, spec, draftSpec, datasetRefs: recomputeDatasetRefs(spec) };
+    // datasetRefs mirrors the draft — the version the editor shows (arch 07 §3).
+    return { ...snippet, spec, draftSpec, datasetRefs: recomputeDatasetRefs(draftSpec) };
   });
 }
 

src/core/snippet.ts

@@ -40,7 +40,9 @@ export interface Snippet {
   comment: string;
   /** User-assigned labels. */
   tags: string[];
-  /** Names of datasets referenced by this spec (maintained on publish). */
+  /** Names of datasets referenced by the draft spec; mirrors the version being
+   *  edited, recomputed on every draft change (create/auto-save/extract/revert)
+   *  and on publish (docs/architecture/07 §3). */
   datasetRefs: string[];
   /** Free-form, extensible metadata bag. */
   meta: Record<string, unknown>;